Ken Mathew, originally from Kerala, has become the first Indian-American and person of color to be sworn in as the Mayor of Stafford in Texas, USA.
Mathew, who previously served on the Stafford City Council, won the election by defeating the incumbent Mayor Cecil Willis by a margin of 16 votes in a run-off race. He attributed his victory to his faith in God. The oath of office was administered by Robin Elackatt, the Mayor of Missouri City and also an Indian-American.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Mathew’s family members, top officials, and notable individuals. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology in India, also congratulated Mathew on his achievement.
Mathew has been involved in the Stafford Council since his initial election in 2006 and had served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission for several years before that. He moved to the US in the 1970s after obtaining a degree from the University of Bombay.
With an MBA, Mathew worked as an accountant and financial executive for various corporations, including Toshiba in the Houston area. He has been a resident of Stafford since 1982.
